CDC Warns Of Polio-Like Mystery Illness That's Paralyzing Kids

Gerardo Mccormick |Saturday, October 20, 2018

CDC Investigates Cases Of Rare Neurological 'Mystery Illness' In Kids

A main symptom of AFM is the onset of sudden muscle weakness in the arms and legs.

The CDC recommends people follow normal disease prevention steps, including staying current on vaccines, washing hands and wearing insect repellent. The 2014 AFM outbreak coincided with the largest ever national outbreak of enterovirus D68, but researchers at the CDC and at UT Southwestern have recovered D68 samples from only a small subset of patients.

Geography also does not appear to be a factor, with the confirmed cases spread across 22 of the 50 USA states. So far in 2018, there have been 62 confirmed cases of the disease, an increase from previous year.

It is a rare condition that is popping up around the country, including right here in the Midwest. But it can be a serious, debilitating disease. There is no specific treatment for it and long-term implications are unknown. "And he's had a lot of support at school with physical therapy".

According to the CDC, the most severe cases of AFM can lead to respiratory failure and even death.

They also know that all six children developed the disease around the same time.

But an outbreak of the syndrome now occurring in Colorado has been associated with enterovirus A71, a strain that is much more common in southeast Asia, said Dr. Samuel Dominguez, a pediatric infectious disease expert with Children's Hospital Colorado.

In some cases patients recover from the paralysis, but in others it continues. "There have been other years that we've seen similar numbers of cases".

Messonnier said the search for a cause is frustrating, and so far, no particular pathogen or immune response has been identified that would explain the big AFM peaks. As this virus invades spinal cord of human body, the symptoms showing AFM are seen, Woods said.

It shows distinct abnormalities of the spinal cord gray matter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Nonetheless, the researchers found that the patients and families 'demonstrated a high degree of resilience and recovery.' 'The majority of these patients are left with extensive problems, ' said Pardo-Villamizar, who was not involved in the study. "We don't know if it's a virus or an autoimmune process that's secondary to the virus".

According to the CDC, the number of patients with AFM symptoms increases each year in August and September. There was one confirmed death a year ago, the CDC said on Tuesday. "If you miss it, you're not missing a treatment". However, the illness has been on the rise in the US since 2014.

At least 65 more cases are under investigation, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. This is the first report of potential AFM to the NDDoH.

The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness is aware of one local case of the polio-like illness, which can cause sudden weakness in the limbs and other neurological symptoms.

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